An apparatus for supplying respiratory gas to a person in an aircraft is disclosed in German utility model registration 297 17 065.1. This arrangement includes a multi-directional valve which selectively supplies the respiratory gas from a pressurized-gas vessel, which is filled with respiratory gas, or from an on-board respiratory gas source. The apparatus is so configured that the person receives the respiratory gas either exclusively from the on-board respiratory gas source when this source is connected; or, alternatively, from two connected pressurized gas vessels with the switchover being dependent upon pressure.
When persons are outside of an aircraft at higher elevations of, for example, 10,000 meters and more, as is the case especially for parachute jumpers, these persons must have a mobile oxygen supply with them from which the respiratory gas is supplied during the jump. Known mobile, personal respiratory gas supply units do include a respiratory gas reservoir which is carried on the person of the parachute jumper in the form of a pressurized gas vessel; however, it has been shown that the oxygen supply can be interrupted because of a fault in respiratory gas supply units of this kind so that a hypoxia or, in the extreme case, the death of the parachute jumper can result.
Faults in known mobile, personal respiratory gas supply units occur especially in the area of the relatively complex metering valve or in the form of leaks in the region of the pressurized gas vessel.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for supplying respiratory gas to a parachute jumper which includes a second respiratory gas reservoir independent of the first respiratory gas reservoir.
The apparatus of the invention is for supplying respiratory gas to a parachute jumper and includes: a mask which can be worn by the parachute jumper; a first respiratory gas reservoir including a pressurized-gas vessel containing respiratory gas; the pressurized-gas vessel having an adjustable metering valve for metering respiratory gas contained in the pressurized-gas vessel; a breathing hose connecting the metering valve to the mask for conducting the respiratory gas thereto; a second respiratory-gas reservoir containing a solid-state oxygen generator and having a manually-actuable starting device for the solid-state oxygen generator; and, the second respiratory-gas reservoir being connected to the breathing hose.
A significant advantage of the apparatus of the invention lies in the combination of the two respiratory gas reservoirs which are independent of each other and function differently. The second respiratory gas reservoir is characterized by the especially compact and light construction of the solid-state oxygen generator. At the same time, this compact construction affords the additional advantage that, if needed, a redundant arrangement for the supply of respiratory gas is available which can supply a constant oxygen flow over a time span of approximately 30 minutes which is required for the jump of a parachute jumper from high elevations.